Mobile SEO: Why it matters and how to improve yours

Did you know there are more iPhones sold per day (378,000) than babies born per day (371,000), according to MobileStatistics.com? This is full proof that mobile SEO is crucial for any business with a website. Unless you’re marketing to an audience that doesn’t use mobile phones to search the Internet, it’s crucial that your business caters to the needs of your audience, which includes mobile users.

Is mobile SEO necessary for your business?

You’ve probably heard this multiple times, but we can’t stress this enough …waiting to get home or back to the office to search online has become obsolete. Some experts predict that the laptop will become obsolete by 2018, and Desktops will become history. Don’t take our word for it …if you visit any nationally known electronics store, that sells computing devices, you will notice there are fewer Desktop computers on the shelves than previous years. As far as laptops are concerned, they’re being replaced by notebooks that have touchscreen capabilities.

What does this mean for your business?

It means more and more of your customers are searching the Web through their mobile device than their laptop or Desktop. Currently, search engines, like Google, are favoring mobile-friendly, well-optimized websites. Put this to the test. Type in “Mobilegeddon” as a keyword and you will find a host of articles written about the changes Google has made to their algorithm during the month of April. If a website is not optimized for mobile, competing sites, that are optimized, will get noticed and the sites that aren’t won’t get found.

If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you’ve more than likely experienced a drop in rankings. Don’t panic. You can still get your website up-to-speed.

Mobile SEO will help increase your visibility in mobile searches – it’s crucial to the success of every business – regardless of the industry. If your website is not search engine friendly to mobile users, here are a few ways to implement SEO for mobile starting now:

Make keywords shorter

When optimizing Meta titles and descriptions, include short tail keywords. Avoid using long tail keywords that you normally would use for Desktop queries. Mobile search users use shorter phrases and Google’s autocomplete feature often completes a person’s search.

Make it sociable as possible

Many mobile users are connected to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and other social applications around the clock. Make sure all of your pages have social media links embedded. When your website is social enabled, it makes it easier for people to share your content. As a result, you can experience an uptick in your engagement and traffic.

Have a responsive website

There is no point in discussing mobile SEO if a website doesn’t have a responsive design. Having a responsive design will allow your visitors to browse through your website regardless of what device they’re using. Here are a few ways to make your site more responsive:

• Make all buttons and links tappable.
• Include a strong call-to-action at the top of all pages.
• Optimize all photos and images for mobile.

Obviously, there is a lot more involved with making a website responsive. Talk to your web developer and see what needs to be done in order to make your website compatible with mobile devices (tablets, Smartphones, and other smart devices).

Don’t seglect your desktop site

One mistake that some business owners make is neglecting their desktop site. Even though Desktop use is becoming a thing of the past, people are still using them to search online. Make sure you cater to every visitor regardless of what device they’re using to access your website. The key to online success is providing your current customers and future customers with a seamless experience.

 

 

The Downside of Using Wix to Build a Website

Website builder companies have come a long way. They have gone from generic, cheap looking website designs to sleek, modern designs.  For example, companies like Wix.com have hundreds of attractive looking templates to choose from and it doesn’t require any Web coding knowledge to build. They make it a breeze to customize a website with their new drop and drag feature. A novice can build a website and have it up and running in less than 60 minutes. Most of all, it is very inexpensive to build.

However, there are a few drawbacks to consider before taking the plunge into the website builder world. Here are a few common downsides to having a Wix website (or any website builder) for a small business website:

You Get Cookie-Cutter Website Templates

The first thing that comes to mind when you browse through Wix.com’s template gallery are the eye-catching graphics. Reality quickly settles in when you discover that hundreds of other businesses, within your industry, will have the same website design. You can have the best images, video content and written content, but it doesn’t hide the fact that your website is not unique.

Branding goes out the window with Wix because the templates aren’t created with the customer in mind. Their purpose is to provide a Web solution that allows their ideal customer to build a website as easily as possible. In order to accomplish this, they must cut corners by creating templates that can be used by anyone.

Scenario: Let’s say that an attorney needs to have a website built for his new law firm. When he/she selects a predesigned template, he/she won’t be the only person using that particular template. Currently, Wix has over 52,321,285 customers. Imagine the amount of customers who are using the same website templates.

The key to having a successful website is to be able to distinguish your website from your competition. Usability is also key to having a successful website. Many website builder programs are lacking in both of these areas.

Poor Mobile Usability

Google has released statistics that show more and more people are using their mobile devices to access the Web. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, people will leave and search elsewhere.

Wix.com offers business owners the option to make their website compatible with any mobile device. This is not necessarily the case. If you have photos and video content, it can make your website appear distorted from an iPhone, Android or Tablet.  Plus, if you have a lot of images and video content, it can cause your website to load slowly. Remember, if your website doesn’t instantly appeal to your visitors, they will leave. A website should take less than 5 seconds to load on a screen regardless of which device you’re accessing it from.

The problem with Wix.com websites is that many of the templates aren’t responsive. Once a website is viewed in ‘mobile mode’ the website templates do not appear mobile-friendly.

Poor SEO

Wix now allows users to adjust their SEO settings in their ‘Editor’ section. They can update their Meta Tags, H1 Tags, optimize images for Google image search, and add links. They even allow you to set up your business location in Google Places. We applaud Wix for attempting to help business owners with SEO, but we won’t give them a standing ovation.

There is a lot more involved when it comes to optimizing a website. It takes a professional SEO consultant to properly optimize a website. One mistake can completely ruin a website’s effectiveness.  Even though they provide people with the ability to adjust their own SEO settings, you still need to consult with a professional to actually perform the tasks (the right way).

The best way to avoid the hassle of building and optimizing your own website is to hire a professional web designer from the very beginning. It will save you time, money and headaches.

Why is Hiring a Professional Web Design Company Important?

One of the joys of hiring a professional web design company to build a website is the opportunity to receive one-on-one consultation – before and after your website is built. A professional web designer will take your web content, web design, web development and SEO into consideration. His or her goal should be to build a website that will enhance your brand and online presence. Most of all, your target audience is taken into consideration when building a website, unlike many website builder solutions.

If you are looking to have a professional website built for your business, feel free to call Wieting Design at: 203.414-9692.